Martin Mathis' Pinball Simulation Reviews: Royal Flush

Royal Flush by Amtex (DOS, Thrustmaster bundled version)

Reviewed:
08/1996, 01/1997

Single table package with a poker/cards theme. Amtex' follow-up to Eight Ball Deluxe and second game that simulates an actual coin-op game. Royal Flush is an exact replica of the nostalgic, mid-1970's electro-mechanical Gottlieb machine by the same name. Beautifully rendered, non-scrolling full-screen 2D planview in multiple resolutions up to 1024x768 (640x480 scrolls slightly but doesn't affect view or play and 800x600 takes the best advantage of the screen). The game features (including a 'magnet mode' that lets you drag the ball across the field randomly with the mouse) are accessed from a hi-res coffee shop screen via hot spots. The playfield screen layout is great with the table at center and the original glass art filling the left and right. Realistic sound effects up to the mechanical counters. Support, of course, for 4 players. Three table nudges. Many tunable table parameters that are accessed via a simulated back box where the table angle, number of balls and even tilt sensitivity and bumper strength can be adjusted. Plunger, flipper and upward nudge keys are set but the two sideway nudges can be overriden via command line parameters. A variety of other command line parameters can be used at start-up, too. Seperate highscore tables for the different resolutions (very considerate!). Appealing highscore name entry and table using animated mechanical counter wheels. The top 10 scores are recorded and a verification code can be generated for the top score but there is no official contest anymore. Came bundled with the ThrustMaster Pinball Wizzard for a while and thus supports it (the original doesn't). Good simulation value for the nostalgic purist, may get a bit boring after a while due to the simplicity (mainly drop targets and rollover lanes) and little defense against draining. I can't get rid of a horizontal line even after tuning with the VESA calibration routine the game provides. Overall though a solid table and I definitely would like to see more pinball games made after actual coin-op machines. The original Royal Flush has recently been re-released by Softkey under the name Pinball Deluxe which also features Eight Ball Deluxe and Tristan.

Where Found: Egghead Software, Arizona, USA, 02/1996